Libraries Teach Tech: Building Skills for a Digital World

Data - June 2016 Libraries Teach Tech: Building Skills for a Digital World This new data brief finds that NYC s public libraries are playing an increasingly important role in helping New Yorkers develop the technology skills needed in today s economy. It shows that the city s libraries provided tech training to more than 150,000 New Yorkers in 2015, an 81 percent increase from just three years earlier. by Jonathan Bowles If New York City is going to succeed in reducing inequality and put more New Yorkers on the path to the middle class, it will need to significantly increase the number of city residents with digital skills. That s because so many of the good-paying jobs being created in today s economy require some level of technology skills. These jobs include the bulk of opportunities in the city s soaring tech sector, but also a growing share of the positions in more traditional fields, from health care to manufacturing, which are adopting new technologies at a rapid clip. In fact, a recent report by Burning Glass found that 88 percent of middle-skill jobs in New York were digitally intensive. This data analysis is part of a series of research briefs on New York City public libraries that was generously funded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation. General operating support for the Center for an Urban Future is provided by the Bernard F. and Alva B. Gimbel Foundation, with additional support from the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation and

the M&T Charitable Foundation. equipped with the tech skills that are in such high demand. Although many of these technology jobs have the potential to boost New Yorkers into the middle class, alarmingly few residents from the city s low-income communities are The de Blasio administration is attempting to address this skills gap through its promising Tech Talent Pipeline initiative. In addition, a number of nonprofit and for-profit entities across the city from Girls Who Code and Access Code to the Flatiron School are providing scores of New Yorkers from underserved communities with the coding, programming, and webdevelopment skills that so many employers now require. But some of the most important efforts to boost digital skills are coming from an unlikely source: the city s public libraries. As this data brief shows, the city s three public library systems served more than 158,000 people with technology training programs in 2015. This represents an astounding 81 percent increase from just three years ago, when the libraries served 87,000 people. Beyond simply serving tens of thousands of New Yorkers, the libraries are reaching many who aren t being served by other digital training initiatives. One of the libraries advantages is that, with 217 branches, the systems have a physical presence in nearly every community throughout the five boroughs. In 2015, 28 branches across the city served at least 1,000 people with tech training programs: 13 branches in Manhattan, 11 in Brooklyn, 10 in the Bronx, 4 in Queens, and 1 on Staten Island. The massive Mid-Manhattan Library served the most people with tech training programs in 2015 (14,704 attendees). Surprisingly, the Parkchester branch in the southeast Bronx had the second highest attendance (9,462). It was followed by the Morningside Heights branch in Manhattan (7,454), the Castle Hill branch in the Bronx (5,980), the Countee Cullen branch in Harlem (4,486), the Brooklyn Central Library at Grand Army Plaza (3,908), the Stephen A. Schwarzman building in Midtown (3,835), the Chatham Square branch in Chinatown (3,770), and the Wakefield branch (3,630) in the north Bronx. Much of the growth in the libraries tech training programs is occurring in neighborhoods whose residents are underrepresented in the city s tech workforce. In fact, 38 of the 50 branches with the greatest growth in tech program attendance between 2012 and 2015 are located outside of Manhattan, with 15 in Brooklyn, 14 in the Bronx, 7 in Queens and 2 on Staten Island. 1 And of the twelve Manhattan branches on the list, three are in Harlem, one is in Chinatown, and one is on Roosevelt Island. The following branches posted the largest growth in attendance for tech training programs: Epiphany Library (Gramercy) +4,259 percent, from 17 attendees in 2012 to 741 in 2015. Queens Central Children s Library (Queens) +2,787 percent, from 23 in 2012 to 664 in 2015. Queens Central (Queens) +1,616 percent, from 193 to 3,312. Richmondtown (Staten Island) +1,546 percent, from 39 to 642. Rochdale Village (Queens) +1,504 percent, from 66 to 1,059. Columbus Library (Hell s Kitchen) +1,394 percent, from 140 to 2,091 Parkchester (Bronx) +1157 percent, from 753 to 9,462. Castle Hill (Bronx) +1096 percent, from 500 to 5,980. Sheepshead Bay (Brooklyn) +1,070 percent, from 74 to 866. Laurelton (Queens) +953 percent, from 115 to 1,211.

Saratoga (Bed Stuy) +897 percent, from 70 to 698. Kings Bay (Brooklyn) +757 percent, from 192 to 1,646. Wakefield (Bronx) +733 percent, from 436 to 3,630. New Amsterdam (Lower Manhattan) +687 percent, from 68 to 535. Countee Cullen Library (Harlem) +633 percent, from 612 to 4,486. The libraries technology programs run the gamut from high-level coding courses to more basic computer classes. While some are more in-demand than others New York Public Library s Project Code program currently serves just 400 people and has a wait-list of 5,000 they are all contributing to a more digitally literate workforce. The importance of these programs is hard to understate. Employment in the city s tech sector grew by 71 percent from 2004 to 2014 (from 68,571 to 117,147 jobs), far outpacing the overall job growth in the city s economy. 2 Yet, many of the city s tech companies struggle to attract workers with the technology skills they need. At the same time, although many low-income New Yorkers would jump at the chance to get a decent-paying tech job, too few of these residents have the digital skills that employers require. One consequence is that tech companies do not resemble New York City as a whole: African Americans make up just 9 percent of the city s tech workforce, while Hispanics account for only 11 percent. 3 As city policymakers continue to develop strategies for addressing the tech talent gap and creating pathways to the middle class, libraries should be seen as a crucial part of the equation. NYC Library Branches Where Attendance in Tech Training Programs Topped 1,000 in FY 2015 Branch Attendance in Tech Training Programs, 2015 ST. GEORGE LIBRARY CENTER 1,350 STATEN ISLAND MID-MANHATTAN LIBRARY 14,704 MANHATTAN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS 7,454 MANHATTAN COUNTEE CULLEN 4,486 MANHATTAN STEPHEN A. SCHWARZMAN BUILDING 3,835 MANHATTAN CHATHAM SQUARE 3,770 MANHATTAN 67TH STREET 3,013 MANHATTAN

NYC Library Branches Where Attendance in Tech Training Programs Topped 1,000 in FY 2015 Branch Attendance in Tech Training Programs, 2015 58TH STREET 2,323 MANHATTAN COLUMBUS 2,091 MANHATTAN SEWARD PARK 1,749 MANHATTAN WASHINGTON HEIGHTS 1,675 MANHATTAN YORKVILLE 1,109 MANHATTAN INWOOD 1,058 MANHATTAN QUEENS CENTRAL 3,312 QUEENS LAURELTON 1,211 QUEENS ROCHDALE VILLAGE 1,059 QUEENS FLUSHING 1,028 QUEENS BROOKLYN CENTRAL LIBRARY 3,908 BROOKLYN KINGS HIGHWAY 2,858 BROOKLYN CENTRAL LIBRARY LEARNING CENTER 2,656 BROOKLYN STONE AVENUE 1,800 BROOKLYN KINGS BAY 1,646 BROOKLYN CORTELYOU 1,382 BROOKLYN WASHINGTON IRVING 1,346 BROOKLYN CLARENDON 1,137 BROOKLYN CYPRESS HILLS 1,118 BROOKLYN EASTERN PARKWAY LEARNING CENTER 1,065 BROOKLYN ANDREW HEISKELL BRAILLE AND TALKING BOOK LIBRARY 1,031 BROOKLYN

NYC Library Branches Where Attendance in Tech Training Programs Topped 1,000 in FY 2015 Branch Attendance in Tech Training Programs, 2015 CONEY ISLAND 1,003 BROOKLYN PARKCHESTER 9,462 BRONX CASTLE HILL 5,980 BRONX WAKEFIELD 3,630 BRONX BRONX LIBRARY CENTER 3,018 BRONX HIGH BRIDGE 1,832 BRONX WEST FARMS 1,788 BRONX MELROSE 1,531 BRONX HUNTS POINT 1,293 BRONX EDENWALD 1,059 BRONX BAYCHESTER 1,039 BRONX 50 NYC Library Branches With the Highest Percentage Increases in Tech Training Attendance, 2012 2015 Branch FY12 FY15 Change % Change SHEEPSHEAD BAY 74 866 792 1070% BROOKLYN SARATOGA 70 698 628 897% BROOKLYN KINGS BAY 192 1646 1454 757% BROOKLYN RED HOOK 64 469 405 633% BROOKLYN CENTRAL LIBRARY LEARNING CENTER 379 2656 2277 601% BROOKLYN BEDFORD 74 487 413 558% BROOKLYN

50 NYC Library Branches With the Highest Percentage Increases in Tech Training Attendance, 2012 2015 Branch FY12 FY15 Change % Change EASTERN PARKWAY LEARNING CENTER 222 1065 843 380% BROOKLYN BEDFORD LEARNING CENTER 183 846 663 362% BROOKLYN CROWN HEIGHTS 164 652 488 298% BROOKLYN KINGS HIGHWAY 944 2975 2031 215% BROOKLYN SUNSET PARK 253 717 464 183% BROOKLYN BROOKLYN CENTRAL 1685 3967 2282 135% BROOKLYN EAST FLATBUSH 357 832 475 133% BROOKLYN BAY RIDGE 274 609 335 122% BROOKLYN CORTELYOU 664 1382 718 108% BROOKLYN PARKCHESTER 753 9462 8709 1157% BRONX CASTLE HILL 500 5980 5480 1096% BRONX WAKEFIELD 436 3630 3194 733% BRONX MELROSE 278 1531 1253 451% BRONX WEST FARMS 342 1788 1446 423% BRONX HUNTS POINT 272 1293 1021 375% BRONX MORRIS PARK 212 908 696 328% BRONX EDENWALD 261 1059 798 306% BRONX BAYCHESTER 270 1039 769 285% BRONX WESTCHESTER SQUARE 240 863 623 260% BRONX HIGH BRIDGE 588 1832 1244 212% BRONX

50 NYC Library Branches With the Highest Percentage Increases in Tech Training Attendance, 2012 2015 Branch FY12 FY15 Change % Change MOSHOLU 301 791 490 163% BRONX THROGS NECK 213 481 268 126% BRONX MOTT HAVEN 440 928 488 111% BRONX RICHMONDTOWN 39 642 603 1546% STATEN ISLAND ST. GEORGE LIBRARY CENTER 461 1350 889 193% STATEN ISLAND EPIPHANY 17 741 724 4259% MANHATTAN COLUMBUS 140 2091 1951 1394% MANHATTAN NEW AMSTERDAM 68 535 467 687% MANHATTAN COUNTEE CULLEN 612 4486 3874 633% MANHATTAN CHATHAM SQUARE 652 3770 3118 478% MANHATTAN ROOSEVELT ISLAND 105 508 403 384% MANHATTAN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS 1750 7454 5704 326% MANHATTAN YORKVILLE 261 1109 848 325% MANHATTAN HARLEM 128 507 379 296% MANHATTAN INWOOD 283 1058 775 274% MANHATTAN SEWARD PARK 504 1749 1245 247% MANHATTAN ANDREW HEISKELL BRAILLE AND TALKING BOOK LIBRARY 339 1031 692 204% MANHATTAN

50 NYC Library Branches With the Highest Percentage Increases in Tech Training Attendance, 2012 2015 Branch FY12 FY15 Change % Change QUEENS CENTRAL CHILDREN'S LIBRARY 23 664 641 2787% QUEENS QUEENS CENTRAL 193 3312 3119 1616% QUEENS ROCHDALE VILLAGE 66 1059 993 1505% QUEENS LAURELTON 115 1211 1096 953% QUEENS WOODSIDE 166 685 519 313% QUEENS FAR ROCKWAY 141 523 382 271% QUEENS FOREST HILLS 278 920 642 231% QUEENS 1. This analysis includes only those branches whose tech training programs had at least 500 attendees in 2015. 2. "NYC's Tech Profile,", August 2015. 3. Ibid. LIBRARIES TEACH TECH is a publication of the written by Jonathan Bowles, researched by Kathleen Gorman, edited by Eli Dvorkin, and designed by Ahmad Dowla. Photo of Bronx Library Center by Ross Mantle. This data analysis is part of a series of research briefs on New York City public libraries that was generously funded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation.

General operating support for the (CUF) is provided by the Bernard F. and Alva B. Gimbel Foundation, with additional support from the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation and the M&T Charitable Foundation. is a catalyst for smart and sustainable policies that reduce inequality, increase economic mobility, and grow the economy in New York City. An independent, nonpartisan policy organization, we use fact-based research to elevate important and often overlooked issues onto the radar of policymakers and advance practical solutions that strengthen New York and help all New Yorkers participate in the city s rising prosperity. RELATED PRESS Never too late: 4,500 learn new tech tricks on Staten Island Staten Island Advance, by Lauren Steussy, June 04, 2016 New School Vibes Among the Old School Stacks Next City, by Jenna Chambers, May 31, 2018 CENTER FOR AN URBAN FUTURE 120 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005 cuf@nycfuture.org All Rights Reserved.